Future Cannabis Strategies West Coast 2020
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
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Future Cannabis Strategies West Coast 2020
In light of the recent global developments around the COVID-19 virus, we have made the unavoidable decision to postpone Future Cannabis Strategies West Coast 2020. We'd like to thank our sponsors, speakers and attendees for their support and will announce new dates shortly.
Forming part of a global series of bespoke, senior-level, strategic conferences, we will welcome leaders within the space for 2 days of insight, discussion and debate into how manufacturers can:
- Capitalize on the premiumization of cannabis products
- Spotlight growth in international markets including the UK, Mainland Europe & South America
- Understand consumer trends & demands from across North America
- Identify opportunities to introduce Cannabis infused products into existing Consumer Packaged Goods
- Review recent product innovation to understand how market trends are adapting to consumer demands
Here's a snapshot from our London edition of Future Cannabis Strategies 2020
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2020?
Delving into key issues to be considered when building and developing a Cannabis derived product, the 2020 conference agenda attracts senior executives responsible for New Product Development, Consumer Insights, Research & Development and Commercial Strategy
250+
ATTENDEES TO MEET EACH YEAR
20+
EXHIBITORS TO MEET EACH YEAR
20+
KEYNOTE PRESENTERS
80%
ATTENDEES AT
DIRECTOR+ LEVEL
Why Attend?
NETWORK
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The conference brings together strategic business leaders from across the West Coast (USA & Canada) Consumer-Facing Cannabis products category; this includes CBD/ Cannabis Products & Devices, Beverages, Food, Tobacco, Cosmetics & Nutraceuticals, together with solution providers for 2 days of insight, discussion and debate.
LEARN
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Join like-minded peers to learn new perspectives and case studies on complying with regulation, increase sales across global markets and to position your business as a leader in the industry.
ACTION
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The conference focuses on identifying opportunities within Local and the European & North American markets and spotlights regulation to ensure producers and retailers of cannabinoid products operate successfully.

Ryan Bacchas
President & Chairman, California Cannabis Coalition & President,American Cannabis Coalition
Biography: Starting an early career at 19 years old in 2014 as Manager and Lead Lobbyist for Californians for Responsible Government (501 c) and Corporate Secretary to his Coalition, Ryan Bacchas demonstrated a natural aptitude to leadership, political organization, and policy. From his legislative direction and expertise used in 2015 for AB 266 (Bonta), AB 243 (Wood) and SB 643 (McGuire) to his work managing local campaigns such as Measure U (Upland), Measure T (Yuba Co.) and Measure XX (Calaveras Co.), Mr. Bacchas has become considered among the new “Forward Thinkers.” In 2016, as Manager for Direct Democracy Unlimited, Mr. Bacchas set absolute precedence resurging the country’s leading Petition Agency, two months into the petition season when the firm was two and a half months behind on producing signatures for clients. Under his lead Mr. Bacchas helped coordinate, direct and manage signature collection, validation, batching and procurement to clients of qualifying voter signatures for all 15 Statewide General Ballot Initiatives in 2016 (7,965,736 signatures in total). In doing so he also put the firm nearly a month and a half ahead of the June Deadline. Among the successful Ballot Measures carried by the company during Mr. Bacchas’ leadership were Proposition 50 (Legislator), Proposition 51 (Education), Proposition 52 (Healthcare), Proposition 53 (Elections), Proposition 54 (Accountability), Proposition 55 (Taxes), Proposition 56 (Tobacco), Proposition 57 (Trials), Proposition 58 (Education), Proposition 59 (Campaign Finance), Proposition 60 (Healthcare), Proposition 62 (Death Penalty), Proposition 63 (Firearms), Proposition 65 (Environment) and Proposition 64 (Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act).
Session Details: Overcoming negative media coverage: How stigma and propaganda affects business and customer trust 14-10-2020, 9:00 am View In Agenda

Terry Donnelly
Chairman & CEO,Hill Street Beverage Co.
Biography: Terry is the Chairman & CEO of Hill Street Beverage Co., focused on the production of world class, award winning cannabis-infused and alcohol-free wine and beer. Hill Street’s alcohol free products are currently available in thousands of leading grocery and drug stores across Canada. Their products have won awards around the world, including three Golds at the US Open Beer championships, a Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Challenge, and the Retail Council of Canada’s Grand Prix Award. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol BEER, which he thinks is both hilarious and awesome. The company is preparing its brewing and winemaking operations to become a leader in cannabis infused beverages to be available in 2020 or whenever the government approves them. Terry is also the co-founder of the Cannabis Beverage Producers Alliance, a national organization representing the unique interests of beverage producers for lobbying and public education.
Session Details: The future of cannabis is beverages – leading the way in the cannabis beverages market 14-10-2020, 9:30 am View In Agenda

John Korkidis
Founder & CEO,Proposition Cocktail
Biography:
Session Details: The right way to building a successful cannabis brand in the food and beverages market 14-10-2020, 10:00 am View In Agenda

Justin Braune
President,Northbud
Biography:
Session Details: Building your brand and public awareness to send out the right message – communication is key 14-10-2020, 11:15 am View In Agenda

James Schwartz
CEO,Cascade High Organics
Biography: James Schwartz BSN, LNC, is an experienced medical legal consultant and CEO of CascadeHigh Organics with 20years experience cultivating legal cannabis. James is a self-described organic minimalist cultivating in the most sustainable manner. James believes in clean Cannabis and its use as a wellness drug. His Oregon licensed cultivation has been featured in Dope Magazine, Oregon Leaf Magazine, and has articles in both publications as well. James is currently on the NCIA Cultivation Committee and has presented at multiple Cannabis and CBD conferences all over the country. James was a drafter and is a signature on the written testimony to the FDA and congress on behalf of NCIA for CBD policy. His business, legal, medical, and agricultural knowledge provides a comprehensive perspective on the cannabis industry. James has lobbied for Cannabis on both the national and state level with Oregon Cannabis Association and is a fierce advocate for the plant and cannabis therapeutics
Session Details: Regulation update: an overview of the current legal landscape in the US 14-10-2020, 12:15 pm View In Agenda

Bret Ackerman
President,Alphacanna Cannabis Holdings
Biography: BRET ACKERMAN, PRESIDENT, CAPITAL MARKETS, Over 20 years of combined structured finance and structured products trading experience. Bret has held positions in investment origination, structuring, and securitization. Bret’s career began at Bear Stearns in 1997 where he as Vice President, jointly responsible for a 12+ billion USD portfolio of firm-managed assets. In 2006, Bret joined Barclays Capital as the Head of Non-Agency/RMBS Securitization, when he was responsible for establishing and managing their 8+ billion USD Private Label/Non- Agency securitization business. During this time, Bret was named “Top 30 Traders Under 30 Years Old” by Trader Monthly Magazine. Bret was subsequently Managing Director at MF Global, Head of RMBS Trading at StormHarbour Securities, and most recently, Head of RMBS Sales and Trading at Odeon Capital Group. In the cannabis and hemp marketplaces, Bret focused on sourcing and analyzing market dynamics, individual businesses and macro and micro opportunities.
Session Details: Demystifying the cannabis industry: An overview of the evolving nature of the landscape 14-10-2020, 12:45 pm View In Agenda

Chip Forsythe
Founder,Rebel Coast
Biography: Chip Forsythe founded and exited two wineries after collage (SloDownWines.com & RecklessLoveWines.com). He has a degree in Wine and Viticulture and over 15 years of industry experience. He has spent the last 3 years pioneering alcohol removal and cannabis infusions. His most recent endeavors are in pioneering psilocybin extractions and infusions
Session Details: The key to maintaining brand loyalty: keeping up-to-date with the industry and regulations 15-10-2020, 9:20 am View In Agenda

Matthew Nordgren
Founder & Partner,Arcadian Fund
Biography: Matthew Jason Nordgren is an ambitious executive, dedicated philanthropist, and accomplished athlete who brings a unique passion for creating strategic alliances. He brings breadth and depth of experience in finance, corporate development, and capital sourcing, as well as in building highly motivated teams of skilled professionals. In 2005, Mr. Nordgren received his education at the University of Texas at Austin, while playing football for the Texas Longhorns football team. As a quarterback on a National Championship winning team, he developed skills that would be carried through his lifetime and core business philosophies. While playing football on scholarship for The University of Texas, he was able to graduate with two degrees in less than four years and was accepted into and pursued a dual master’s degree program at the University of Dallas. After playing professionally briefly with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, Mr. Nordgren went on to earn two additional master’s degrees in both business and sports management from the University of Dallas. He was subsequently featured on the Bravo TV show “Most Eligible Dallas,” while becoming a partner in the family business, NORDCO, Inc., a Dallas-based energy firm. This is also when he helped to develop, manage and build his first private equity/family office business with a sports and media focus which lead to a career in running various investment vehicles across a broad spectrum of strategies. Throughout his career, Mr. Nordgren has been appointed to many executive leadership positions at a wide-ranging group of companies and industries. From real estate to sports and entertainment, from hospitality to insurance and financial services, from emerging industries to later stage leveraged buy outs, he is singularly focused on finding synergistic opportunities in early stage private growth rounds that have upside potential. He is committed to successfully helping manage the overall financial state of his partners businesses and the companies with which he and his partners have interests within. Mr. Nordgren is currently CEO and Founder of ARCADIAN Fund and ARCADIAN Capital Management, a venture fund/private equity strategy focused on the ancillary service providing companies in and around the cannabis and hemp industries. More specifically, on Series A/B type opportunities where proven businesses are looking for growth equity to continue scaling into new markets. He was recently name one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the Cannabis Industry” by High Times Magazine and ranked number 3 globally by Business Insider in terms of investment companies focused on the emerging cannabis and hemp sectors. Additionally, he is the founder of Nordco Consulting LLC, a private consulting firm dedicated to the business development of middle market companies with forward-thinking vision. To date, Mr. Nordgren has personally been involved with over $7 billion in transactions and maintains a portfolio of approximately 30 plus companies.
Session Details: Analyzing banking and finance options in the cannabis industry 14-10-2020, 2:30 pm View In Agenda

Jena Min
Founder & CEO,VERBÖDEN Brands
Biography:
Session Details: Next-gen cannabis products: Customised cannabinoid formulations for targeted results 14-10-2020, 4:30 pm View In Agenda

Katherine Ragusa
Co-Creator,Lab to Beauty
Biography:
Session Details: Entering the luxury market: A lesson in brand building 14-10-2020, 5:00 pm View In Agenda

Stas Chirkov
Founder,BLUNT Skincare
Biography:
Session Details: Hosted Roundtable Discussions 15-10-2020, 11:50 am View In Agenda

Jamie Evans
Founder,Canna Comforts
Biography: Meet Jamie Evans. Founder of Canna Comforts and Co-Founder of Hempton Farms. He survived cancer, uprooted his life to escape prohibition, and is making waves in the cannabis industry by growing hemp strains that look, smell, and smoke just like their high-THC counterparts, from Suver Haze to Purple Gas. Currently working to bring affordable Full-Spectrum Cannabinoids to the masses. "Real Medicine for the Real World!" I've been formulating medicines that have changed my life and helped me with my battle against Chronic Myeloid Leukemia without any pharmaceutical drugs.
Session Details: Transforming medicinal products with CBD 15-10-2020, 10:20 am View In Agenda

Charlie Piermarini
CEO,Restorative CBD
Biography: Since he was young Charlie has had a passion for medicine and people. During the summers while in undergrad he would work as an EMT at a summer camp serving both children and adults with special needs. Through these life-changing experiences, he knew he had to purse his passion for medicine. He continued his education and graduated with a Master’s degree in Physiology and he was able to publish his thesis paper in the American Journal of Physiology- heart and Circulatory Physiology. He then attended Touro University of California where he completed a dual Master’s of Science in Physician Assistant Science (MSPAS) and Public Health (MPH). He moved back to Arizona where he practiced family medicine and then moved into pain management. He also is the founder and CEO of Restorative Care of Arizona, which is a patient centric wellness clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. Where they specialize in personalized medicine and taking care of the whole patient. After seeing many of his pain patients achieve great results with CBD, but some of them having THC in their drug screenings- he started to research CBD and the ECS. After a few years of research and successfully treating many patients, he has started his own CBD company to ensure the quality of product that his patients receive. Throughout his journey both before medicine and while practicing medicine he has added different tools and experiences that allow him to give his patients the best care possible. He understands that each patient is different and has their own unique journey of their health care and will require personalized treatments. He understands for a patient to be truly healthy, both their physical and psychological health has to be optimized. He can be reached at CPiermarini@rcofaz.com or at his office in Phoenix, Az. He welcomes any discussions surrounding CBD and looks forward to pushing this industry in the right direction.
Session Details: Medical Advisement: How can it help your company 15-10-2020, 2:20 pm View In Agenda

Johanna Nuding
Founder,Casually Baked
Biography:
Session Details: Action Steps Now: A Brainstorm to realize our vision for the future of cannabis 15-10-2020, 2:50 pm View In Agenda

Courtney Zalewski
Entrepreneur,Original Cannabis Cafe
Biography:
Session Details: Original Cannabis Café - California’s first cannabis restaurant 15-10-2020, 3:20 pm View In Agenda

Sarah Dale
Entrepreneur,Original Cannabis Cafe
Biography:
Session Details: Original Cannabis Café - California’s first cannabis restaurant 15-10-2020, 3:20 pm View In Agenda

Jimmy Castillo
Chief Scientific Officer,Jenny Rose
Biography:
Session Details: Maximising the potential of cannabinoid therapy and highlighting the therapeutic benefits 15-10-2020, 10:50 am View In Agenda

Beatrice Setnik
Chief Scientific Officer, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs,Altasciences
Biography: Dr. Setnik has been working in the area of clinical drug development and abuse potential (AP) assessment since 2005. Dr. Setnik is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Altasciences and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto (Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology). Dr. Setnik earned her doctorate degree in Pharmacology and the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto in 2005. In her former role as Vice President of Scientific & Medical Affairs at INC Research/inVentiv Health (Early Phase), she was responsible for scientific input on early phase clinical trials and in strategic initiatives in business growth and development. In her previous role as Senior Director, Clinical Sciences (King Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, Inc), Dr. Setnik lead the clinical development, regulatory filing, and lifecycle management, including abuse potential evaluation, of several pain compounds including abuse deterrent opioid formulations. In her previous role as a Research Scientist (formerly Ventana / Decisionline Clinical Research, Toronto, Canada), Dr. Setnik was responsible for providing scientific input on various specialty phase I-II clinical trials including abuse potential studies for CNS drugs. Dr. Setnik has published numerous research articles in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals and has presented at over 200 scientific meetings and conferences. In addition, she is the Managing Director and Clinical subgroup lead Cross Company Abuse Liability Council and chair of the Clinical Pharmacology Community of the Drug Information Association (DIA). Dr. Setnik is also an active member and participant in several congresses including the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. She has also been actively engaged in many aspects of abuse potential assessment including development of patient reported outcome instruments and contributing to post-marketing surveillance studies.
Session Details: Navigating the highs and lows of clinical trials with cannabis 14-10-2020, 3:00 pm View In Agenda

Peter Holzworth
Global Expansion Officer,Green Horizon California
Biography:
Session Details: The evolution of cannabis consumer packaged goods & how to utilize consumer behavioral patterns to the culture product offering 14-10-2020, 3:30 pm View In Agenda
Partners






Mother Murphy’s Laboratories
SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES
Future Cannabis Strategies West Coast offers multiple sponsorship opportunities, including thought leadership, exhibition space, networking packages and more. For more information contact our commercial partnerships team at the address below:
Francesco Magli
T: +44 (0) 207 936 6728
E: francesco.magli@arena-international.com
SPEAKER OPPORTUNITIES
The program for Future Cannabis Strategies West Coast is available upon request. If you would like to get involved contact our production team at the address below:
Lu Tikrity
Portfolio Manager
T: +44 (0) 161 359 5349
E: lu.tikrity@arena-international.com